A Detailed Guide to the Latest Planting Methods for Sweet Alyssum
Sweet alyssum is also known as tufted alyssum, little white flower, jade butterfly ball, etc. It is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Lobularia in the Brassicaceae family, with a woody base, but cultivated plants, whether annual or biennial, do not become woody. It grows prostrate and has a pleasant delicate fragrance. It is also suitable for planting at the edges of rock garden walls, and can also be grown in pots or used as ground cover. Let us take a look together at the planting methods for sweet alyssum!
Growth Habits of Sweet Alyssum
Sweet alyssum is native to Europe and West Asia. It prefers cool conditions and dislikes intense heat. It requires ample sunlight, tolerates slight shade, prefers loose soil, dislikes waterlogging, and is relatively tolerant of drought and poor soil. It likes a cool climate, dislikes extreme heat, and withstands frost and cold. It likes a relatively dry air environment; prolonged rainy and overcast days make it susceptible to infection by pathogens. It fears rain exposure, and the leaves should be kept dry at night. The optimum relative air humidity is 40-60%.
Propagation Methods for Sweet Alyssum
Sweet alyssum can be propagated by seeds or cuttings, but seed propagation is generally more common. In northern regions, spring sowing is mostly used, generally sowing seeds in greenhouses in March to raise seedlings. Sweet alyssum seeds germinate faster than ordinary flower seeds, and seedlings emerge uniformly. The optimum germination temperature is 20°C, with emergence in about 5 days. When 3-4 true leaves have formed, they are planted into pots, and they bloom in June. When the summer heat arrives, growth becomes poor and there are few flowers. At this time, the spent flowering branches should be cut off and fertilizer and water management strengthened, and they will bloom again in autumn. In North China and southern regions, autumn sowing is mostly used, overwintering in cold frames for protection, then potted or planted out in March of the following year, blooming in April.
Planting Methods for Sweet Alyssum
1. Substrate: For potting sweet alyssum, one of the following substrates can be used: vegetable garden soil : cinder = 3:1, or garden soil : medium-coarse river sand : sawdust (mushroom residue) = 4:1:2, or one of paddy soil, pond mud, or leaf mold, or peat : perlite : ceramsite = 2:2:1, or peat : cinder : ceramsite = 2:2:1, or sawdust : vermiculite : medium-coarse river sand = 2:2:1. After potting, water thoroughly once and keep in a slightly shaded environment for one week.
2. Potting: When potting sweet alyssum seedlings, first place a 2-2 cm thick layer of coarse-grained substrate or ceramsite at the bottom of the pot as a drainage layer, then scatter a layer of fully decomposed organic fertilizer on top as base fertilizer, about 1-2 cm thick, then cover with another layer of substrate about 1-2 cm thick, and then place the plant in, so as to separate the fertilizer from the roots and avoid burning the roots.
3. Transplanting: When transplanting sweet alyssum seedlings, first dig the planting holes, scatter a layer of organic fertilizer at the bottom of the planting hole as bottom fertilizer (base fertilizer), about 4-6 cm thick, then cover with a layer of soil and place the seedling in, so as to separate the fertilizer from the roots and avoid burning the roots. After placing the seedling in, backfill the soil to cover the roots, firm the soil with your foot, and water thoroughly once.
Planting Management for Sweet Alyssum
1. Temperature: Sweet alyssum is not very demanding about winter temperatures; as long as it is not exposed to frost, it can overwinter safely. It dies when temperatures reach above 30°C in late spring and early summer. The most suitable growing temperature is 15-25°C. In the three seasons of late autumn, winter, and early spring, since temperatures are not very high, it should be given direct sunlight to facilitate photosynthesis and the formation of flower buds, blooming, and seed setting. If high-temperature weather occurs in summer, about 50% of the sunlight needs to be shaded out.
2. Fertilizer and water: Like other herbaceous flowers, sweet alyssum has relatively high fertilizer and water requirements, but it is most afraid of careless fertilization, concentrated fertilizer, and one-sided application of nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium fertilizers. It should follow the two fertilizer (water) principles of dilute fertilizer applied frequently, small amounts with more frequent applications, complete nutrition, and alternating dry and wet - when dry, dry out completely; do not water if not dry; when watering, water thoroughly. Also, after fertilizing, the leaves and flowers should be kept dry at night.
3. Autumn: After the sown sweet alyssum seedlings have been potted and recovered for a period, fertilizer and water management should be quickly stepped up. Fertilizer and water management follows the cycle of Huabao→Huabao→clear water→Huabao→Huabao→clear water, with an interval of about 1-3 days. The interval is shorter on sunny days or during high temperatures, and longer or skipped on rainy days or during low temperatures.
4. Winter: Although sweet alyssum continues to grow in winter, the lower temperatures slow its growth rate, and its fertilizer and water requirements are not high; fertilizer and water may even need to be restricted. Fertilizer and water management follows the cycle of Huabao→clear water→clear water→Huabao→clear water→clear water, with an interval of about 4-7 days. Watering should be done at noon on sunny days when the temperature is relatively high.
5. Spring: After temperatures rise in spring, sweet alyssum quickly resumes growth and gradually enters the flower bud differentiation and flowering stages, with high fertilizer and water requirements. Fertilizer and water management follows the cycle of Huabao→clear water→Huabao→clear water, with an interval of about 2-4 days. After entering the seed-setting stage, stop fertilizer application.
6. Pinching: Before flowering, sweet alyssum is generally pinched twice to encourage more flowering branches to sprout. One to two weeks after potting, or when the seedlings are 6-10 cm tall and have more than six leaves, remove the top shoots, keeping the lower 3-4 leaves, to encourage branching. Three to five weeks after the first pinching, or when the side branches grow to 6-8 cm long, carry out the second pinching, that is, remove the top shoots of the side branches, keeping the lower 4 leaves of the side branches.